GOP primary hopefuls aim for seat in House

Editor’s Note: Toledo Free Press profiled the Democratic candidates for the District 9 House of Representatives race in the Feb. 26 issue.

You’ve seen and heard about him.

He typically wears jeans and sweaters, even to fancy Republican banquets. Samuel Wurzelbacher — you probably know him as “Joe the Plumber” — is one of the GOP’s fastest-rising stars now running for Ohio’s 9th District seat in Congress. The Holland native, who achieved national fame basically overnight, during the 2008 presidential election, is taking more phone calls than ever, clocking miles across the state and even spending time with former presidential hopeful Herman Cain.

“Joe the Plumber” became a model for the Republican Party after he asked then-presidential candidate Barack Obama during a neighborhood visit whether his tax plan would tax him more for buying a company that makes $250,000 to $280,000 a year.

Obama answered that businesses in that bracket would pay 39 percent, up from the 36 percent collected under Former President Bill Clinton. He continued to say that he thought that spreading wealth around is good for everybody, a belief Wurzelbacher and his Republican colleagues reject.

As a result of the publicity surrounding him, Wurzelbacher lost his job as a plumber, according to his website.

Wurzelbacher’s challenger doesn’t get typical visits from Cain and hasn’t nailed down national endorsements. But Steven Kraus, his opponent, is determined to win over voters between here and Cleveland by March 6, Super Tuesday.

Steve Kraus

“I think I’m the better candidate; I think I have real solutions and answers to bring jobs back here to revitalize,” Kraus said. “I’m the better qualified candidate — Joe’s got notoriety but that’s about it.”

Samuel ‘Joe the plumber’ Wurzelbacher and Herman Cain on their way to the Feb. 24 Lucas County Republican Lincoln Day dinner. Photo by Joseph Herr

Kraus is a 52-year-old auctioneer and a real estate agent. He is a veteran of the Air Force. His experience, he said, kept him right at on the ground where political decision-making took effect. Kraus joined the Air Force when he was 18-years-old and left in the ’90s and he spent the Gulf War in Saudi Arabia in special operations, under fire constantly.

He “took a stab” at politics when he lived in Fort Walton Beach, Fla. by entering the City Council race. He’s thought about running for the Congressional seat his entire life, but the thought became reality in 2009 and 2010. As a city council candidate, he talked about building sidewalks in neighborhoods to keep children safe. As a Congressional candidate years later, he’s talking about tapping natural gas resources to attempt to keep the economy safe.

“I’m all for getting the EPA off the backs of businesses,” he said.

Kraus said he wants to harvest the natural gas beneath Lake Erie. He also cited a technology called liquid fluoride thorium reactors, a fuel source he advocates. The technology, which was developed after World War II and shelved during the Nixon administration, relies on flouride salt as the medium for nuclear reactions. According to The American Scientist, a research magazine that publishes essays and articles by scientists and engineers, thorium is abundant, creates less toxic fission than uranium and could compete with the cost of coal per kilowatt-hour.

Kraus wants to stop funding for other alternative energy sources such as solar panels or wind farms.

Cain endorsement

Wurzelbacher, too, said the EPA is too restrictive on business. He told Toledo Free Press that he spends a lot of time outdoors and loves clean air. But he said during his Feb. 24 speech at the Stranahan Theater that he drives a Dodge 4×4 truck and likes to “leave a carbon footprint wherever (he) goes.”

Cain joined Wurzelbacher at the theater for the Lincoln Day Dinner with the Lucas County Republican Party. Tickets cost at least $75 each and the event sold out.

Cain’s tour bus pulled into the parking lot as dusk turned to night. Camera crews, and one devoted fan who drove from Dundee, Mich. to meet Cain, could see the bus from far down the road. It towered above cars it passed — an enormous print of Cain’s face spread across the side, smiling heartily at passers-by. “9-9-9,” a reference to his tax plan, extended across the side too, splashed across the bright red and blue hues covering the windows.

An energetic Cain, wearing his trademark black cowboy hat, emerged from the bus along with Wurzelbacher. Later, at the podium, Wurzelbacher said he didn’t prepare a speech because it makes him feel disingenuous. Even still, he captivated his audience as he addressed them and drew in multiple bouts of spirited applause.

Cain publicly endorsed Wurzelbacher and has toured with the candidate, in the midst of his own tours to promote his tax plan. The two have been friends for a few years, Cain said.

“We started to talk about his newly emerging career and what impressed me about Joe is he listened,” Cain told Toledo Free Press. “The other reason I’m endorsing Joe is he has a lot of common sense.

“We don’t need another legislative expert in Washington, D.C. We’ve got too many of those. We need someone with common sense; I love his character and I love his integrity.”

Plus, Cain added, Wurzelbacher has adopted his tax policy. “9-9-9” urges the government to dump the present tax code and instate a 9 percent personal income tax, a 9 percent corporate income tax and a 9 percent national sales tax. Critics have argued that this plan could place a heavier burden on those with less income because they spend more of their paychecks to consume goods and are unable to put their earnings away for savings.

Policies

Wurzelbacher also spent time in the Air Force, where he learned values and a respect for “selfless leadership,” according to his wesbite. He later worked as a communications engineer but left that position for plumbing so he could spend more time with his son, a decision that put him in debt with the Internal Revenue Service, according to his website.

If Wurzelbacher wins the primary, he could face one of two Democrats who have held their seats for years. Although he doesn’t have political experience, he is not so much preparing to take on Washington, D.C., as he already was primed for it as a child, he said. His parents insisted he read the newspaper every day starting in the fourth grade and he studied history with the understanding that “there’s nothing new under the sun,” he said. He credits his time in the military as preperation for leadership.

“I do know what needs to be done, yes,” he said. “Do I know the games that they play and the deals that they make and the manipulations of the strategies they do? No. Will I partake in any of that? Absolutely not.”

Democrats Marcy Kaptur, Dennis Kucinich and Graham Veysey have turned on each other in the weeks leading up to Super Tuesday. The three share similar philosophies but Kucinich has never voted for defense bills, Kaptur has, and both have criticized one another for those records. Veysey criticizes them both for being “career” politicians and holds them accountable for Cleveland and Toledo’s high poverty rates.

Wurzelbacher referred to campaign attacks as “character assassinations” and asserted that he wouldn’t do the same. He and Kraus have a lot of philosophies in common. In addition to disenchantment with the EPA, both want to dismantle the Federal Department of Education. Wurzelbacher said he sees charter schools and voucher programs as opportunities for low income families to choose where they send their kids. Continuing to fund the education department is not working, he said.

Kraus attributes the problem in public schools to the loss of religious influence in the classroom. He favors charter schools, too because competition would drive the need to improve, he said.

The two are both opposed to abortion — Kraus supported the “Personhood Amendment” in Ohio and Wurzelbacher sees abortion as killing babies — and both tend to dislike the idea of gay marriage. However, both asserted that marriage should be a state right.

“My campaign is all about restoring faith, family and the American dream,” Kraus said. “I believe in the goodness of America.”

Wurzelbacher just wants to put people to work, he said.

“Ultimately, I’m here to get the federal government out of (citizens’) lives so that they can have prosperity,” he said. “That’s what I’m here for — I’m not here to tell them what they’re doing is wrong or right.”

How Herman Cain’s cartoony farewell may impact the campaign

“Let me leave you with this. I believe these words came from the ‘Pokemon’ movie … ‘Life can be a challenge. Life can seem impossible. It’s never easy when there’s so much on the line, but you and I can make a difference. There’s a mission just for you and me. Just look inside and you will find just what you can do’.”

— Herman Cain, suspending his presidential campaign, Dec. 3, 2011.

“Welcome to the 42nd in a series of 1,357 debates featuring the Republican candidates for president. I am your moderator, Donald Trump. First, as is customary, each candidate will now make a brief introductory statement. We will begin with former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney.”

“Thank you, Mr. Trump, and thank you, members of the audience. As everyone is well aware, my campaign has been somewhat rocky in recent days. It seems that my status as the obvious front-runner has not yet gotten through to the voting public, whose attention span continues to hop from candidate to candidate with the frequency of a cheap ham radio. I clearly need to do something to capture the attention and imagination of the populace. But I am still certain my time will come. I just need to ask myself, in the words of the great poets: ‘What would Brian Boitano do, if he was here right now? I’m sure he’d kick an ass or two, that’s what Brian Boitano would do.’ Thank you.”

“Thank you, Mr. Romney. And now, a statement from former senator Rick Santorum.”

“Thanks, Don. These are trying times for America, without question. We face more than a struggle, my friends — we are preparing for an all-out battle! A battle for our future, our values, our rights, our very way of life! It’s all dribbling away, people! We must have the Courage to Fight for America (TM ricksantorum.com, all rights reserved)! And I know I am ready to take up that battle. As the great anthem states, ‘Fighting to save the day. They never give up, they’re always there. Fighting for freedom over land and sea and air.’ Yes, G.I. Joe … is there. And so are we! Now you know. And knowing is half the battle.”

“We will now hear from Rep. Michele Bachmann. Representative?”

“Thank you, Mr. Trump. Hey, remember me? I was front-runner for a couple of days there back in the summer! Yeah, those were good days. Good, good days. What happened? I mean, sure, there was that Newsweek cover where I looked like a crazed deer caught in headlights, but that was the doing of that biased, nasty lamestream media, am I right? And yeah, I do come across as a little bit … wacky … in interviews. And public appearances. And in speeches. And in written statements. But come on, we all love being a little loony, don’t we? Like the great philosopher once said, ‘We’re zany to the max, there’s baloney in our slacks. We’re Animaniacs! Those are the facts!’ Thank you. ZORT!”

“Thank you, Mrs. Bachmann. Wait … Reverend Robertson? What are you doing here? You’re not even running this year, are you?”

“Nope, bless you, but I have something to say! To each of these candidates, I must ask a simple question. I was watching some television last night — in between moments of genuflection, of course — and I heard a song that asked a simple question, one that is so clearly the key to America’s problems. And I quote: ‘It seems today that all you see is violence in movies and sex on TV. But where are those good, old-fashioned values on which we used to rely?’ Yes, indeed! Where are they? Where? Where?!?”

“Would someone escort the Reverend Robertson back to the ABC Family studio?”

“I’ll answer the question!”

(silence)

“I’ll answer the question!”

“(sigh) Very well, Mr. Gingrich.”

“I believe I have the integrity and moral compass to guide our country back to the right track. I mean, sure, I faced 84 different ethics charges while I served in the House, and sure, I blamed my numerous infidelities on working so hard on behalf of the American people. But clearly I am the most upstanding and classy … ”

Burnard: Revolving front-runners

I find it a little amusing that after 4,568 GOP debates, there is still a new front-runner every week. And after all those lead changes, none have polled higher than the low 20s. Each seems to revel in making absurd statements, hoping that the more ridiculous the statement, the more likely they will be to “vault” into the lead. It’s obvious that the presumed crown prince of the GOP, Mitt Romney, is having trouble gaining traction. He’s flip-flopped on so many issues that he is beginning to resemble a frog tossed into a hot frying pan.

Not content to do a mere 180 on virtually any position, he’s shown that — if need be — he’s willing to do a complete 360 if someone doesn’t like what he said yesterday. He doesn’t seem to think that the possibility of his having every position on any given subject might be part of the problem he has getting traction. His only recourse now seems to be to bash Obama in generic ways and tailor his messages and positions to please whatever he thinks the audience du jour wants to hear. He seems to have no strong positions on anything that he’s not willing to change. Kind of makes you wonder how he’d deal with the international community if he had to negotiate as president.

Herman Cain spent a couple of weeks as the front-runner. With a mix of half-evangelist, half-huckster panache, he seems to have finally played out his hand as the sexual misconduct allegations continue to pile up. Then add in his complete lack of knowledge on such presidential prerequisites as foreign policy, for example. His bizarre campaign Web posts became YouTube hits, but really didn’t show much that anyone other than the hard-core tea drinkers would deem presidential caliber. His simplistic 9-9-9 plan sounded great in sound bites, but on closer examination by persons having actual knowledge of economic matters was shown to be just another sales pitch that would only help the rich if enacted. It did provide a handy answer if he was asked a question he didn’t know the answer to or didn’t want to answer.

Before the Hermanator, the Guv of Texas, Rick Perry, had his 15 minutes of fame. I thought the last

governor of Texas who won the presidency was, shall we say, intellectually challenged. It didn’t take good ol’ boy Rick long to make W. look good in the thinkin’ department. He just kept going from bad to worse in debate to debate, appearing to even be somewhat inebriated in one of them, and forgetting his own plans and asking the other candidates to help him out in the memory department. His excuse was he was worn out from all this debatin’ stuff. I guess being president would be a lot less stressful. He did have some nice-looking boots, though. Hopefully, one of his assistants wrote clear instructions on the heel for pouring water out of them.

Before Rick came along, Michele Bachmann had her brief moment in the sun, regaling one and all with her staggering lack of knowledge of history and a stunning array of made-up facts. How she was ever taken seriously for even a moment as the possible leader of the free world is beyond me, and apparently, finally, for all but the most hardcore TPers.

Ron Paul has flirted with front-runner status, and even shown some popularity with younger voters, who for the most part have glommed on to his war positions and studiously ignored some of his more radical ideas. Evidently, he even scares the mainstream media moguls, as they seem to studiously ignore him as well.

Now, rising like a phoenix from the ashes, we have the Second (Third? Fourth?) Coming of Newt Gingrich. Newt is sure that he is the smartest guy in any room, and is willing to pontificate at length on any subject in a stream of consciousness way that often gets him accolades or condemnation. To me, he is the quintessential example of mouth in motion before mind is in gear. Just last week, his latest brilliant idea was to do away with child labor laws and turn poor kids into school janitors.

Never mind that they would possibly have to work with dangerous chemicals and be up all night cleaning the school they should be attending the next day.

I have an idea, Newt. Why don’t they run for the GOP nomination for president? They’re sure to be as good as any of the front-runners so far.

What a sad state the GOP has devolved into, when these top GOP contenders for the highest office in the land are the best it has to offer.